Читать книгу Bill’s Italian Food - Bill Granger - Страница 5
ОглавлениеIf you need to cheat (and, goodness knows, there are plenty of times when that way sanity lies) you can buy all these bits and pieces at a deli or supermarket. But, if there’s ever a lovely slow empty afternoon when you’re in the mood for pottering in the kitchen and stocking the fridge, here are some ideas to work with. They’ll give you the basic foundations for many Italian dishes and take the pressure off during the week. None of these are complicated, but all will lift any meal from basic to bellissimo. Home-made focaccia can make a meal out of anything – in the best possible way. And, while pasta with supermarket pesto isn’t a dish that generates much excitement, home-made pesto certainly does.
SOFFRITTO IN OLIVE OIL
Making soffritto in advance is a time-saving revelation. This finely chopped flavour base can be kept under a thin layer of olive oil in a jar in the fridge, or even frozen (without the oil). So if, like me, you’re often left with a couple of slightly less-than-crunchy celery stalks or carrots in the vegetable crisper, quickly dice, cook and keep.
Garlic, onion and celery make up the ‘holy trinity’ of much Mediterranean cooking and a finely diced soffritto is the base for just about any soup, stew, sauce or braise created on an Italian stove. I’m a bit of a rebel here: I tend to chop my ingredients a little less finely than the average Italian cook.
MAKES 1KG
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for storing
5 carrots, sliced
4 onions, sliced
5 celery sticks, sliced
6 garlic cloves, sliced
Heat the olive oil in a large deep-sided saucepan. Add the carrot, onion and celery and season generously with sea salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 25–30 minutes, or until the vegetables soften and turn a light golden colour.
Add the garlic and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Spoon into sterilised jars and cover with a layer of olive oil. Alternatively, pack the soffritto into small plastic containers and freeze until ready to use.
ROASTED TOMATO PASSATA
Roasting is the best way to haul flavour from not–so–perfect tomatoes and give them some punch.
MAKES 750ML
1kg ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tablespoons thyme leaves
½ teaspoon crushed chilli
½ teaspoon caster sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Spread the tomato on a baking tray, sprinkle over the garlic, thyme, chilli and sugar, and season with sea salt. Drizzle with oil and roast for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and tip into the bowl of a food processor. Whiz to a purée.
The passata can be used immediately, or kept chilled for up to 3 days and reheated before using.
NO-COOK TOMATO SAUCE
This sauce is perfect when you have decided to grow tomatoes and are feeling rather smug about your new-found green thumb (sorry to shatter your illusions, but even I can grow tomatoes). Stir it into pasta, perhaps with torn mozzarella or capers, spread on toasted crusty bread or spoon into bottling jars for friends.
MAKES 1 LITRE
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
1kg very ripe tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons olive oil
Toast the fennel seeds in a frying pan over low heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until the fennel releases its aroma. Tip into a mortar and pestle and coarsely grind. Set aside.
Whiz all the ingredients together in a food processor or, if making the sauce by hand, grate the tomatoes into a bowl then crush in the garlic and stir in the olive oil and ground fennel. Season with sea salt and set aside for 30 minutes to allow the flavours to mingle.
BASIC FOCACCIA DOUGH
MAKES DOUGH FOR 1 LOAF
7g sachet instant yeast
500g strong white bread flour
115g strong wholemeal bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for greasing
Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Mix the oil and 300ml tepid water in a jug and pour into the well, stirring until the dough is soft. If the dough is too dry add a little more liquid; if too wet, a little more flour.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, until elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes–1 hour.
Tip the risen dough onto the floured surface and knock back to its original size by punching it gently. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and stretch out to a square roughly 28cm × 28cm. Cover with lightly oiled cling film and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.
Years ago an Italian girl invited us over for lunch: just rotisserie chicken, salad and store-bought pesto. Then she opened the oven and lifted out a freshly baked focaccia. Sprinkled with olive oil and sea salt, that bread turned a simple meal into one I haven’t forgotten.
ONION, ARTICHOKE AND BLACK OLIVE FOCACCIA
MAKES 1 LOAF
1 red onion, cut into wedges
6 artichokes in olive oil, drained and halved
handful pitted black olives
olive oil, for drizzling
Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7. Make dimples in the dough with your fingertips. Gently push the topping ingredients into the dimples, then drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Serve warm.
ROSEMARY AND POTATO FOCACCIA
MAKES 1 LOAF
knob of butter
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
315g small new potatoes, halved
3 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
Start making the topping once the dough has been shaped and set aside for its second rise.
Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Tip in the potatoes and rosemary, and cook for 15–20 minutes, turning occasionally, until the potatoes are just tender and lightly golden. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
Make dimples in the dough with your fingertips. Top with the potato and rosemary mix, pushing the topping into the dimples. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle over a little sea salt. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Serve warm.
VEGETABLE BREAD ROLLS
These are inspired by my daughters Inès and Bunny, who sneak away with tiny handfuls of dough when I’m cooking any sort of bread. Later, on the edge of my baking tray, I discover lovely little twisted rolls stuffed with morsels of vegetables, herbs or cheese. Serve with soup or an antipasto platter.
MAKES 12 ROLLS
6 slices grilled aubergine in olive oil, drained and halved lengthways
6 roasted red peppers in olive oil, drained and halved lengthways
3 rosemary sprigs, broken up
olive oil, for greasing and drizzling
Make the dough by following the instructions in the basic recipe but only leave it to rise for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into 12 balls and roll each into 6cm × 12cm rectangles. Lay a slice of aubergine and red pepper over each one, add some rosemary and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roll up into scrolls and transfer to an oiled baking tray. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7. Drizzle the scrolls with olive oil and bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden and cooked through.
EASY RAVIOLI
SERVES 4–6
400g ‘00’ flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten, plus 2 eggs for glazing
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 quantity ravioli filling (see recipes)
semolina, for dusting
60g butter, to serve
freshly grated parmesan cheese or a squeeze of lemon juice, to serve
Put the flour into the bowl of a food processor, add the beaten eggs and olive oil and pulse until the mixture resembles large grains of couscous. Remove from the processor and bring the mixture together with your hands. Tip out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes, until the dough is very smooth and elastic. Wrap in cling film and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into 4 pieces and pass through all the stages on your pasta machine. You should end up with 4 long, thin sheets of pasta. Divide each sheet in half and lay them on a surface dusted with semolina.
Cut the pasta sheets into large triangles or rectangles and add 1 tablespoon of filling to one end of each piece. Lightly brush the edge of the pasta with beaten egg and fold the dough over to completely encase the filling. Press down with your fingers to seal, making sure you push out any air as you go. Transfer to a tray generously dusted with semolina and set aside for about 15 minutes to allow the ravioli to dry out.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Drop in the ravioli and cook for 3–4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and serve with melted butter and lots of freshly ground black pepper. If you’ve made one of the vegetarian ravioli, add grated parmesan to serve. For the prawn ravioli, finish with a light squeeze of lemon juice.
PRAWN AND DILL RAVIOLI FILLING
375g raw peeled prawns
2 tablespoons double cream
juice ½ lemon
2 tablespoons roughly chopped dill
Whiz half the prawns in a food processor with the cream, until smooth. Finely chop the remaining prawns and mix with the blended prawns, lemon juice and the dill. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then use to fill the ravioli.
RICOTTA, LEMON AND MINT RAVIOLI FILLING
250g ricotta cheese
100g parmesan cheese, freshly grated
grated zest 1 lemon
large handful mint leaves, roughly chopped
Mix all the ingredients together with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then use to fill the ravioli.
POTATO, PECORINO AND BASIL RAVIOLI FILLING
1 × 400g baking potato
½ garlic clove, crushed
3 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino cheese
small bunch basil, leaves chopped
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Bake the whole potato for 1 hour, or until tender and cooked through. Carefully cut open and scoop the flesh into a bowl with the garlic, pecorino and basil. Mash together and add some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside to cool before using to fill the ravioli.
SALSA VERDE
Pesto is a favourite recipe, for the simplest but most satisfying of reasons: what child doesn’t eat pasta pesto? For some reason it seems to break through the ‘no green’ rule. So, stir these through pasta for the bambini, or serve for grown-ups with hot grilled meat or cold leftover roasts. Salsa verde is great with fish, and roasted pepper and almond pesto was put on this earth to be eaten with sausages.
SERVES 4–6
1 tablespoon capers, drained and chopped
2 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
small bunch chervil, finely chopped
grated zest ½ lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra if storing
½ teaspoon red wine vinegar
Stir all the ingredients together in a bowl and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside for 1 hour to allow the flavours to develop.
If not using straight away, spoon into a container, pour in enough olive oil to cover by 0.5cm and seal with a tight-fitting lid. Keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.
PARSLEY AND WALNUT PESTO
SERVES 4–6
50g roasted walnuts, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
large bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra if storing
Mix together the walnuts, garlic, parmesan and parsley in a bowl, until well combined. Add some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper then stir in the olive oil.
If not using straight away, spoon into a container, pour in enough olive oil to cover by 0.5cm and seal with a tight-fitting lid. Keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.
PISTACHIO AND CHILLI PESTO
SERVES 4–6
50g roasted pistachios, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
small bunch mint, roughly chopped
small bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
50g parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 red chilli, finely chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra if storing
Mix together the pistachios, garlic, herbs, parmesan and chilli in a bowl, until well combined. Add some sea salt and stir in the olive oil.
If not using straight away, spoon into a container, pour in enough olive oil to cover by 0.5cm and seal with a tight-fitting lid. Keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.
ROASTED PEPPER AND ALMOND PESTO
SERVES 4–6
4 roasted red peppers in olive oil, drained and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
50g roasted almonds, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
125ml olive oil, plus extra if storing
Put the red peppers, garlic, chilli flakes and almonds into the bowl of a food processor. Whiz to a rough paste then stir in the parmesan, olive oil and some sea salt.
If not using straight away, spoon into a container, pour in enough olive oil to cover by 0.5cm and seal with a tight-fitting lid. Keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Friday night is pizza night in the Granger household. I love pizza – crispy pizza with fresh toppings, rather than something slightly soggy that arrives in a cardboard box by motorbike. Scattering a little polenta over the pizza base is a simple trick to crisp it up.
BASIC PIZZA DOUGH
MAKES DOUGH FOR 4 PIZZAS
2 teaspoons dried instant yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for greasing and brushing
½ tablespoon honey
375g strong white bread flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
Pour 250–300ml tepid water into a small bowl, sprinkle in the yeast, add the olive oil and honey and whisk with a fork until dissolved. Set aside.
Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast mixture. Bring together to form a soft dough, then turn out onto a dusted work surface and knead well for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in a lightly greased large bowl and brush the top with a little olive oil. Cover with oiled cling film and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
MOZZARELLA, ROASTED PEPPER AND CAPER PIZZA
MAKES 4 PIZZAS
polenta, for dusting
plain flour, for dusting
basic pizza dough (see recipe)
4 tablespoons passata
4 roasted red peppers in olive oil, drained and cut into wide strips
2 × 125g balls mozzarella cheese, sliced
2 tablespoons capers, drained
handful rocket leaves
extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle
Preheat the oven to 250°C/gas mark 9 and dust four 30cm pizza trays or two large oven trays with polenta. Dust the work surface lightly with flour. Turn out the pizza dough and knead for 1 minute to knock back, then divide into 4 pieces. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
Flatten out one piece of dough into a rough circle with the palm of your hand. Gently roll out to a 30cm circle and transfer to a prepared tray.
Spread 1 tablespoon passata onto the pizza base with the back of a spoon and top with a quarter of each topping – the peppers, mozzarella and capers. Bake for 8–10 minutes, until the base is coloured and crisp. Serve topped with rocket and a drizzle of olive oil.
BURRATA, PROSCIUTTO AND PEACH PIZZA
MAKES 4 PIZZAS
polenta, for dusting
plain flour, for dusting
extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle
12 slices prosciutto
handful rocket leaves
2 × 125g burrata cheese
3 ripe peaches, stones removed and flesh torn
Preheat the oven to 250°C/gas mark 9 and dust four 30cm pizza trays or two large oven trays with polenta. Dust the work surface lightly with flour. Turn out the pizza dough and knead for 1 minute to knock back, then divide into 4 pieces. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
Flatten out one piece of dough into a rough circle with the palm of your hand. Gently roll out to a 30cm circle and transfer to a prepared tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and bake each pizza, one at a time, for 6–10 minutes, or until the base is coloured and crisp. Top each pizza with a quarter each of the prosciutto, rocket, burrata and peaches and serve.
CARAMELISED FENNEL, FINOCCHIONA AND MOZZARELLA PIZZA
MAKES 4 PIZZAS
2 fennel bulbs, cut into wedges
1 orange, quartered
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
polenta, for dusting
plain flour, for dusting
2 × 125g balls mozzarella cheese, torn
60g black olives, pitted
6 slices finocchiona (fennel salami)
½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
Preheat the oven to 250°C/gas mark 9. Place the fennel and orange wedges on a baking sheet and season with sea salt. Drizzle with olive oil and roast for 20–25 minutes, until softened and charred. Squeeze the juice from the orange wedges over the fennel and set aside to cool.
Dust four 30cm pizza trays or two large oven trays with polenta and dust the work surface lightly with flour. Turn out the pizza dough and knead for 1 minute to knock back, then divide into 4 pieces. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
Flatten out one piece of dough into a rough circle with the palm of your hand. Gently roll out to a 30cm circle and transfer to a prepared tray. Add a quarter each of the mozzarella, olives and fennel and bake each pizza, one at a time, for 12–15 minutes, until the base is coloured and crisp. Top with the finocchiona and chilli flakes and serve.
Local lore tells that finocchiona (fennel salami) was created when a thief stole a salami and hid it away in a Tuscan field of wild fennel.
PLUM AND VANILLA COMPOTE
This is just the thing to make when stone fruit are in season and you’ve gone wild at the growers’ market. Peaches and nectarines will work equally beautifully here. Serve with ice-cream or yoghurt, or on bread with mascarpone and an espresso chaser for an oh-so-stylish Italian breakfast. Or make a simple pastry and bake a teatime plum, vanilla and almond tart (here).
MAKES 2 × 450G JARS
1kg ripe plums, halved and stones removed
pared zest and juice 2 oranges
80g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out and reserved
Place the plums and 125ml water in a large saucepan and heat over medium–low heat until the plums start to break down. Add the orange zest and juice, sugar and vanilla pod and seeds, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature before spooning into sterilised jars. The compote will keep in the fridge for 1 week.
